Summary of Qualifications

In 2008, Ms. Swartz started her own small, woman-owned business specializing in all aspects of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). She has over 35 years of experience in environmental law and regulation, focusing primarily on NEPA compliance issues. She is also well-versed in the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), particularly on the integration of those statutes with the requirements of NEPA.

For the previous 15 years, Ms. Swartz was a NEPA program/project manager, leading teams in the preparation of environmental impact statements (EIS) and environmental assessments (EA) for federal agencies and in the preparation of NEPA-related environmental reports for private industry. She previously served as the Deputy General Counsel at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), providing authoritative guidance to federal agencies on all aspects of NEPA compliance. In that position, she reviewed selected agency NEPA documents for procedural and substantive sufficiency, assessed the adequacy of proposed agency NEPA regulations, conducted NEPA training sessions for federal agencies, and prepared CEQ guidance and informational materials on NEPA analysis and documentation requirements, public participation, cumulative environmental impacts, and pollution prevention.

Using her strong energy background, Ms. Swartz has worked closely with the Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to assist those agencies in the development of NEPA-implementing regulations and with NEPA compliance issues for particular projects. She has also worked with many other federal agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service and Rural Development), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Marine Corps, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (Surface Transportation Board), and National Science Foundation on various NEPA projects.

In 2012, Ms. Swartz was asked to serve on an expert panel for the National Academy of Sciences reviewing a draft EIS for the issuance of a special use permit in a national seashore. Ms. Swartz’ role on the panel is to provide insights into the NEPA process in general and, in particular, on the appropriate level of detail and analysis required.

Ms. Swartz is the co-author of The NEPA Reference Guide (1999) and Endangered Species: Legal Requirements and Policy Guidance (2001). For Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, she has prepared materials for and taught NEPA classes on a variety of subjects. She is also a regular speaker on NEPA legal issues for the National Association of Environmental Professionals and has taught NEPA courses for the American Law Institute-American Bar Association.

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Education
 

J.D., Washington College of Law, The American University (1979)

B.A., Political Science and Administrative Studies, University of California at Riverside (1976)

Employment History